Olympus TG3 Review

Olympus TG3 Review

I should note I’m not a professional photographer and I’m actually still looking to buy a camera. I hope I can get some feedback here before I make the big purchase. I’ve been searching for a solid camera for quite a while now, but I haven’t found anything that matches what I want. I need something tough and possibly waterproof. I like chilling on the beach and taking video of my son while he swims. Cameras that aren’t water resistant don’t last long in my experience.

Basic Features I need

So far I’m zeroing in on the Olympus TG3. I found not only is it waterproof up to fifty feet, but it’s also shock proof up to seven feet, which is a plus because I have been known to drop cameras from time to time. It also has WIFI, so I can post the photos online as soon as I get to a destination with WIFI.

This camera has a lot of upside for me. It weighs about a half a pound and is supposed to be really durable and tough. It’s not like the cheaper cameras that I am used to. Cheaper cameras usually use AAA batteries, but this one comes with a lithium ion battery that is supposed to last for three hundred-eighty shots or two hours of shooting footage. I do a bit of both, so this caught my attention.

Now like I said, I’m no pro, I don’t have some of the photo editing software like Photoshop or anything but I do enjoy a little creativity in my photos. The addition of a vast number of filters and effects to choose from is definitely a plus for someone like me.

As far as zoom, this camera has up to 16x digital zoom which will come in handy while watching my son at the beach. It will help me keep an eye on him from a distance, and possibly get a couple of good photos for my blog. Who knows, maybe I can get some shots of marine life underwater too! People on Amazon seem to be raving about how well it takes underwater pictures.

The TG3 also features cold resistance up to fourteen degrees Fahrenheit, which is great. I sometimes go to my parents’ house in Upper Michigan during the winter and it gets pretty cold there. My family tends to enjoy extreme climates and we’ve been snow shoeing a few times. I’d like to get some footage of that this year when the time comes.

Finally, this camera is small enough to fit in your pocket, which is also a huge plus. Portability is a must in a camera for me. I like to travel so finding the best camera for travel photography is probably my main priority.

Possible Issues

A problem a lot of people are encountering is that the camera’s view screen is not articulated. That means getting ground shots of insects or other animals might prove difficult. I usually don’t take photos of insects, so I’m not worried about that. But I don’t like the fact that it doesn’t have manual focus. Sometimes that can be inconvenient for macro situations.

Also, I’ve read that the USB cable that hooks into the computer or the charger is actually proprietary, which means that cable and only that cable will work with it. I hate when a company does this. Why, why do you do this? GRR! I have a tendency to lose USB cables for my phones and my mp3 players so let’s make it difficult on me if I need to replace them.

Another issue some people were having is that the camera just stops working shortly after the first couple of uses. Some even claimed that the water resistance doesn’t work well, and their camera just shut off the moment it got underwater, although some have claimed that it takes spectacular shots while underwater. Perhaps some just got defective models? I’m not sure of what to think about that, but if I buy this camera, it really needs to work under water. Hell, it just really needs to work period; I don’t want it shutting off after a couple of days. I really hope some other people can chime in here with their experience.

I think ultimately Olympus is a fine company and the TG3 is a new model that was preceded by the TG1 and TG2. It’s not like the company hasn’t made a camera before. All in all, I still think I’ll take the chance. As I said, Olympus is one of the top companies I think about when it comes to cameras.

Update

So, I made the plunge and shelled out the three hundred-fifty dollars for this camera. So far so GREAT! I love it. I’ve used it in the water a few times to test it out and there has been no issue besides being terrified the first time I put it in the water. Shooting underwater photos of my son and a little bit of underwater wildlife is extremely fun.

Also, I took it with me on my last vacation and found it to be a great travel companion. I didn’t try dropping it or anything and I was pretty careful with it but knowing that it’s a tough camera, shockproof, etc makes me feel a little more comfortable about lugging it around in my suitcase, handbag, purse, etc. Peace of mind alone equals best camera to take traveling…

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